Paralysed Inverness doctor wins £4.5m in settlement after bike failure
An Inverness doctor has won £4.5 million after a bike failure caused him to crash and suffer a life-changing injury.
In August 2020, Dr Daniel Gordon sustained a spinal cord injury when the front forks of his £2,300 all-terrain gravel bike sheared in two on a grass slope in Inverness.
The crash left the Raigmore Hospital doctor paralysed.
He lost neurological function in his legs and trunk and was told he would be dependent on a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
At the end of 2023, Dr Gordon sued the insurers of his Planet X Tempest SRAM Force 1 titanium bike for £10million. Dr Gordon. Image: Stewarts.
A five-day trial was due to commence at the high court on Tuesday.
However, parties negotiated in advance and agreed Dr Gordon should receive a settlement sum of £4.5m – treated as 50% of the full value of his claim.
The settlement includes provision for Dr Gordon to return to court and seek further damages in the event he experiences a rare but serious and untreatable deterioration caused by a spinal cyst. Dr Gordon wins £4.5m in settlement
Originally, lawyers from the international injury team at law firm Stewarts were instructed to bring proceedings to the English High Court.
A claim was set against Planet X's insurers Arch Insurance (UK) Limited and Chubb European Group SE after the bike company became insolvent. Dr Gordon is from Inverness. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
During the court proceedings, experts found the carbon fibre forks on Dr Gordon's bicycle were materially thinner and weaker than two example forks provided by the manufacturer, Huizhou FlyBike Sports Equipment Co Ltd. Inverness doctor continues passion with hand cycling
Despite his life-changing injury, Dr Gordon has managed to return to his medical career with NHS Scotland and currently works four days a week as a specialist respiratory registrar.
He has also taken up hand cycling, completing the hand cycling tour of Mallorca in 2022 and the London Marathon in 2025.
Dr Gordon married his fiancée, Laura Colacino, in 2024 and together they went on honeymoon to Peru, including a visit to the site of Machu Picchu. Dr Gordon has taken up hand cycling. Image: Facebook.
'Despite a catastrophic and life-changing injury, I've been fortunate enough to be supported by Stewarts in pursuing a claim against Planet X's insurers, the result of which means my future care and accommodation needs can be met,' he said.
'Stewarts have been exceptionally proficient, compassionate and offered me clear guidance through an incredibly difficult, complex and personally challenging time.
'I also have to thank Ewan Stirling, a friend and coach who first noticed the unusual way in which the fork sheared, without whom I would likely not have taken any action.
'I hope now to be able to move forwards and show that despite this injury, life can still be rewarding and fulfilling.' Read more Inverness doctor's paralysing bike crash compensation claim for £10m
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